NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards Honor Champions of Diversity

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As spectators and fans travel near and far to witness first-class racing, the eleventh annual NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards will further fuel the anticipation of events.

Industry leaders and personnel will gather Thursday morning at Daytona International Speedway to honor pioneers of diversity.

"The NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards offer an outstanding platform to recognize individuals and organizations whose significant contributions drive our efforts of inclusion and strengthen the future of our sport," said NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian France. "Our commitment to diversity is part of our core values, and it’s our sincere pleasure to recognize this year’s outstanding group of winners for their efforts and achievements."

The NASCAR Drive Diversity Awards is the leading means to identify accomplishments in diversity and inclusion throughout the motorsports industry. The awards highlight exceptional accomplishments by drivers, motorsports professionals, industry facilities and organizations, as well as graduates of highly competitive programs, NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development and Pit Crew Development and the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program (NDIP).

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Driver Joey Logano will receive the National Series Driver Award, given to a NASCAR national series driver who demonstrates leadership both on and off the racetrack while making contributions to the advancement of the sport.

NASCAR K&N Pro Series driver Jesse Iwuji will be presented with the NASCAR Diverse Driver Award, awarded to a minority or female NASCAR development driver that exemplifies outstanding performance both on and off the race track in encouraging awareness and interaction with NASCAR and motorsports.

PEAK will be honored with the NASCAR Partner Award, presented to a company that demonstrates a commitment to NASCAR diversity and inclusion goals through its program support and engagement with NASCAR.

Pit crew member Kevin Richardson will receive the NASCAR Diverse Crew Member Award, given to a minority or woman crew member that inspires awareness of NASCAR through competitive performance and outreach activities.

Isabella Robusto, a member of the 2018 NASCAR Drive for Diversity driver class, is to receive the NASCAR Young Racer Award. The award highlights a minority or female youth between the ages of 8- 15 years old that has partaken in some form of competitive racing and has overcome adversity in pursuit of his or her dream of participating in the motorsports industry.

Sam Belnavis will be presented with the NASCAR Industry Ambassador Award. The award honors a representative who displays a personal effort to incorporate multicultural initiatives as part of his/her job.

Precious Makuyana and Jorge Jones will be presented with the NASCAR Diversity Intern Award. The award is given to students who have exhibited outstanding performance and leadership skills in academics as well as during their internship in the NASCAR Diversity Internship.

The Jason Taylor Foundation will be awarded the NASCAR Institution Award. This award spotlights the organization that demonstrates a commitment to NASCAR diversity goals through their program support and engagement.

The NASCAR Track Award will go to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The award is given to the track that demonstrates support of programming to engage with a multicultural fan base and identifies and activates programming with staff support and track assets.

Roush Fenway Racing will receive the NASCAR Team Award, highlighting the team that engages drivers, OEMs, and sponsors to effectively reach fans on and off the track in support of NASCAR’s diversity and inclusion goals.

The 2018 NASCAR season kicks off at the Daytona International Speedway with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with the NextEra Energy Resources 250 on Friday, February 16, followed by the debut of the NASCAR Xfinity Series with the POWERSHARES QQQ 300 on Saturday. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Daytona 500 will air on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET.

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